Tolko Industries Shutting Down, Major Job Loss in The Pas
The mayor of a northern Manitoba town says a forest-products company that has announced plans to shut down gave him no indication it was in financial trouble.
Tolko Industries -- the largest employer in The Pas -- said yesterday it has notified 332 workers they will be laid off as of December 2nd.
Mayor Jim Scott says he believes the company may have had trouble moving its products and he will discuss with town council some possible solutions, which may include asking the Manitoba government for funding.
The Pas MLA, New Democrat Amanda Lathlin, says the closure will devastate the local economy.
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Lifesaving Society Wants Inquest Into Recent Drownings at MB Beaches
There have been four drownings in Manitoba in two weeks, and three of them have been at popular beaches with patrols, which has prompted the Lifesaving Society to call for an inquest.
On Saturday, a 22-year-old man drowned at Birds Hill Provincial Park and a 26-year-old man drowned at Caddy Lake. Two weeks ago, two children drowned at Grand Beach.
Carl Shier, the CEO of the society, says an inquest should be held because the drownings occurred at beaches where there are beach patrollers.
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New Position at U of M Will Focus on Soybean and Pulse Production
There's going to be more research on soybean and pulse production issues at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, with the creation of a new agronomist-in-residence position.
The faculty's associate dean of research Martin Scanlon says the program is modeled on the engineer-in-residence program.
"I think that that program has arisen because there was a recognition within the engineering community, and it's also apparent I think within the agriculture community, that what research is being done at the University of Manitoba and other universities is actually sometimes a bit constrained by sort of academic pursuits (and it's) maybe a little different than what's needed for the industry."
$400,000 in funding is coming from the governments of Canada and Manitoba, and is being matched by Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.
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Oysters Sold in Manitoba and Elsewhere Recalled
Consumers are being advised not to eat a brand of oysters that are being recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella.
Packaged as "Large Standard Oysters'' and "Mixed Oysters,'' the products are produced by PEI-based Five Star Shellfish and display a harvest date of August 13th.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the products were sold in Manitoba, Alberta, and Ontario, but may have been distributed in other provinces or territories.
Food contaminated with salmonella may not smell or look visibly altered, but can still make you sick.
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Palliative Care Needs An Overhaul, Say Docs
Doctors are urging Canada to broaden its approach to palliative care to include end-of-life support of patients with serious chronic illnesses -- not just those with cancer.
In Monday's Canadian Medical Association Journal, the specialists write that two-thirds of the $250,000 Canadians who die each year have illnesses other than cancer, including end-stage heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
Dr. Graeme Rocker of Dalhousie University says many of these patients prefer to die at home, but a lack of community-based services means many end their lives in hospital.
